Originally Posted by Panther1984
Besides the whole pay issue the main question that comes to mind is this. Why are Easyjet asking for people with 1500+ hours when in the past it's been a lot less, circa 200 hours etc?
Three reasons probably.
1) Rumour has it the insurers are getting a bit nervous about the experience level.
2) Cost was a big issue. eJ could bypass the old "expensive" contract with flexicrew - they got ultimate flexibility and low crew cost in the RHS compared to less flexibility on a 5354 pattern and a high fixed cost. Now with the new contract, they have the best of both worlds; they can manage seasonality by measuring the amount of copilots they have on 5354 for a lot less money, 100% FRV and 75% FRV. Now cost is sorted, there's no reason not to employ more experienced crew.
3) With the end of the recession and the start of some significant growth in the next 3-5 years, attrition is likely to rise, which will more than likely lead to a significant loss of crew. Remember a lot of the FO community at eJ are early/mid/late twenties so are more likely to leave for the likes of BA / Emirates which is a bit more career orientated. There is also a large bubble of copilots that joined with 200hrs 2-3 years ago. It leaves a bit of an experience gap for commands in 3 years or so. Getting a variety of crew with more hours balances that a bit.
Originally Posted by Superpilot
If true, this could be a sign that not enough type rated guys are signing up to FlexiCrew so what other way to ensure a continous stream of pilots ready to snap up zero hour contracts?
I don't think there has been a lack of cadets signing up to eJ. I think the real shift has been because of the death of the A scale FO contract. With a cheaper contract, they can afford to take on more experience without having to pay extra for it.